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So out of boredom I decided to look through some of my old animu fansubs and p0rn that I had burned onto CD a few years back. As it turns out, some of these cd's show up as being blank when I play them on my computers CD-RW drive. Is their any way I can recover what is on these cd's and play them normally or am I fucked?

First thing I would try is to try then disks in another cd drive, sometimes when disks get old some readers get a bit twitchy over them.

Next if that doesn't work have a good look at it, make sure the clear surface is clean (it shouldn't show up as blank if dirty to be honest).

Now normally a cd will fail due to age because the clear material has started to discolour and go opaque or the worse case scenario the lable side when contains all of the data has started to break down.

If the clear CD material discolours with age and has started oxidising, or reacting to the cd holder you maybe lucky and using one of those cd cleaners that grind away a layer will allow u to access the data. You should copy it off and reburn them.

If it is the label side that is damaged then your data is most probably lost

First thing I would try is to try then disks in another cd drive, sometimes when disks get old some readers get a bit twitchy over them.

Seconded, particularly if you're trying to access the CDs from a drive that you did not burn the CDs with, and especially if you had multiple sessions and/or unlocked sessions on those discs.

I don't know why, but if I burned a DVD (perhaps CDs as well, can't remember) with my laptop, either one or both of my desktop's drives would have problems with it. If it didn't give me a "corrupt disc" error, I wouldn't see any data. In order to boost compatibility, I always ensured that the disc was finalized - no further writing possible, no multisessions. I also had to do this with my car's MP3 player - CDs that were burned and not finalized would cause the player to claim that the disc was corrupt.

Oh I know what you mean and how you feel! I hate it when those CD's of DVD"s fail you

Especialy when you buy a bulk of DVD's and some in the batch are no good. I found just buying the good quality stuff is much better especially when you need to archive something quick. As far as recovery goes (if the data was actually burned to the disc) thet may cost a few $$ at some recovery place. I've never had an old disc fail me yet but I guess that is b/c everything is in cases and aways from any sun/heat sources . . .

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CDs that were burned and not finalized would cause the player to claim that the disc was corrupt.

Yeah that is an annoying thing to happen, it has to do with something while the disc is being burned. I beleive in most common DVD/CD burner programs the data is put on first and then a "directory" of where to find the stuff is put on last. In other words, when the disc is "finalizing" it is closing the disc up for use. That is why nowadays I use a lot more DVD+RW's for my temporary data storage b/c over the years I found them to be more useful, easier, faster, and compatiable to any other type of disc I have used. In fact I never have had a DVD+RW failme yet. But for permanent storage I use a high quality DVD+ or - R and those work fine. Also it depends on the type of program you use as well and how efficient it is. Like I have cheap burning progams and then I have Adobe Encore DVD. Oh Adobe Encore makes burning discs so fast and easy! While my PC has a lot of space I like to keep things organized and archived for backup so I am constantly backing up projects on discs. I found it very helpful in the past to recover stuff and find it since all my stuff is safely put on a disc someone else.

What if I never finalized or "closed" the cd being written? Can they be closed using a different CD burning software?

Well the CD should have finalized once it poped out of the tray. Any CD/DVD program automatically finalizes the disc . . . just sometimes it has an error and cuts short, therfore making the CD not readable . . .

So if you are asking if you can stick a CD (that has already been burned) into a program to finalize it, you can't. Once the CD is burned (if it is not a RW) then that is it and it should have been closed. Re-writable discs are the only ones that can be erased and re-used an that is what I love about them, if the disc doesn't burn properly I can just erase any data and start over

Look at it this way, when you install a program on your pc the computer creates shortcuts and links to the directory of where that program is located on your pc. The same goes for any disc (especially data discs). Before the disc is burned the program you use to burn it cretes like a directory so the pc or DVD player cand "find" your info . . . .without it, the player cannot find your stuff.

If your discs are not reading you may be in trouble . . . but if you happen to find a computer that can see your stuff on it, copy it real quick and burn it to a newer disc.

Especialy when you buy a bulk of DVD's and some in the batch are no good. I found just buying the good quality stuff is much better especially when you need to archive something quick. As far as recovery goes (if the data was actually burned to the disc) thet may cost a few $$ at some recovery place. I've never had an old disc fail me yet but I guess that is b/c everything is in cases and aways from any sun/heat sources . . .

Hahahhah omg I remember when my friends and I first bulk brought some unbranded cd-r's from maplin, they failed after 1 or 2 reads. We were joking and saying that they should market them as one use media for DRM

Well the CD should have finalized once it poped out of the tray. Any CD/DVD program automatically finalizes the disc . . . just sometimes it has an error and cuts short, therfore making the CD not readable . . .

Untrue, the disc will not be finalized if it is being set up for a multisession. I don't know if it's the standard for the discs to be finalized by default, but if you use Nero, the default is to have a multisession. I think the program only offered to finalize it for you if you had to overburn in order to fit all of your data on the disc.

Using Nero, you can finalize a disc that has mutliple sessions. I don't know whether all CD/DVD ROM drives will be able to view all of the multisessions - they should be able to. At the very least, you'll get to see something, and/or any corruption errors should disappear.

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So if you are asking if you can stick a CD (that has already been burned) into a program to finalize it, you can't. Once the CD is burned (if it is not a RW) then that is it and it should have been closed. Re-writable discs are the only ones that can be erased and re-used an that is what I love about them, if the disc doesn't burn properly I can just erase any data and start over

Just to clarify, multi-session does NOT erase previous data. Multi-session means that you can burn data to a disc, and then later, during a different session, come back and write more data to that disc.

I remember reading something a while ago that mentiones that it's those CDRs that have the blue-green looking write surfaces that have the exceptionally short 5 years or less lifespan with the silver coloured ones lasting somewhat longer and the gold coloured surfaces lasting the longest.

Untrue, the disc will not be finalized if it is being set up for a multisession. I don't know if it's the standard for the discs to be finalized by default, but if you use Nero, the default is to have a multisession. I think the program only offered to finalize it for you if you had to overburn in order to fit all of your data on the disc.

Using Nero, you can finalize a disc that has mutliple sessions. I don't know whether all CD/DVD ROM drives will be able to view all of the multisessions - they should be able to. At the very least, you'll get to see something, and/or any corruption errors should disappear.

What I meant by finalizing a disc is when it is completely full and no more data can be put on it, the disc should be finalized since nothing else can be put onto it. I know about the multisession feature but I don't think Hayamaneko did that to the disc's . . . .so they should be "closed" meaning you can't put anything else on them anymore.

I guess while your program calls it multisession mine calls it Open and closed discs . . same concept like what you explained, just different naming

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Just to clarify, multi-session does NOT erase previous data. Multi-session means that you can burn data to a disc, and then later, during a different session, come back and write more data to that disc.

Yeah, while I don't have the program Nero I do have that function as well (As above) . . .I just never have used it b/c usually I have the entire disc ready to be filled of data or I use RW's all the time for temporary space.

[QUOTE=Gundam Zero Force;1121813]What I meant by finalizing a disc is when it is completely full and no more data can be put on it, the disc should be finalized since nothing else can be put onto it. [quote]
I'm not so sure about this. As I said, I've seen Nero request to do a multisession when there was very little free space that would have been remaining (say, under 50 MB left on the disc after burning).

What I don't know is whether Windows' default burning supports multisession or if it finalizes discs automatically.

Since I'm using a Mac as my primary system these days and I'm burning with the OS itself, does anyone know if the Mac OS burner finalizes discs?

I remember reading something a while ago that mentiones that it's those CDRs that have the blue-green looking write surfaces that have the exceptionally short 5 years or less lifespan with the silver coloured ones lasting somewhat longer and the gold coloured surfaces lasting the longest.

You can also rack that up to the conditions the CD-R is kept in - humid or dry, hot or cold environment. Also, the CD-R has to be in perfect condition at the time of writing. Some CD-Rs can have hair-sized scratches in them or other defects. All of these plus many more things could occur to decrease the overall life expectancy of the CD-R.

What I don't know is whether Windows' default burning supports multisession or if it finalizes discs automatically.

ah, that is the reason for our confusion lol. Yes I use a pc and you use a mac so I guess the burning defaults are different.

Far as I know, all the pc stuff does a default of NOT using multisession. I know the program I have can do multisession to a disc but it was not the default . . .

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Since I'm using a Mac as my primary system these days and I'm burning with the OS itself, does anyone know if the Mac OS burner finalizes discs?

I think so, while I don't own a mac I use them all the time at College (half the rooms ar mac's an the other half are pc).

Some of the classes I have to take are in a mac room and some are in pc. Anyways in one of my Photoshop classes i was in a mac room and we had to burn a disc from the mac. Well when I put the disc back in it seemed finalized to me. I was using that burning program called Toast Titanium so I don't know how quality that program is. All I know is I couldn't put anything else on the disc.

I am assuming (and could be wrong) that is you (the user) does not set a disc up for multisession then the disc will be burned and just finalized like any normal disc . . . .and the next time you stick it in the computer you can put anymore data on it since it was finalized or "closed". I could be wrong but all the discs I have burned in the past I can't go back and add more on since I had them sealed . . ..

I never tried the multisession option, I am temped to give it a try now and see what happens

ah, that is the reason for our confusion lol. Yes I use a pc and you use a mac so I guess the burning defaults are different.

The reason for the confusion is that we're using different burning programs, I think. I've been a Windows user for ~10 years now (got started early) and I've just started using the Mac as a main system for three or four months now I'm also migrating my Windows systems over to Linux, but I wouldn't claim to have any real experience with Linux (aside from tinkering and trying to get disk drives mounted, MP3s to play, and so on...)

You're using that Adobe Encore program to burn, right? As I mentioned, I've been using Ahead Nero on the PC, which seems to be the most popular burning software out there. I've been using Nero since version 5 at least, and at latest the 6 series (forgot the exact version number). That's where I'm describing the multisession/finalizing behaviors from. As for the Mac, I'm just burning from the built-in OS functions, which are rather optionless by comparison.

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Some of the classes I have to take are in a mac room and some are in pc. Anyways in one of my Photoshop classes i was in a mac room and we had to burn a disc from the mac. Well when I put the disc back in it seemed finalized to me. I was using that burning program called Toast Titanium so I don't know how quality that program is. All I know is I couldn't put anything else on the disc.

Ah, Toast. I've never used it myself, but it does something weird, and I don't know that it finalizes a disc, either. My father is a 100% Mac user. For that MP3-CD car player that I mentioned, whenever he would try to burn discs, he'd use Toast, and the CD player would say that his discs were corrupt. If he wanted a new MP3 CD made for the car, he had to give me the files and have me burn it through Nero with the "finalize disc" option. It was probably a finnicky player. Regardless, if that player couldn't read the disc, it's possible that other CD devices wouldn't be able to, either.

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I am assuming (and could be wrong) that is you (the user) does not set a disc up for multisession then the disc will be burned and just finalized like any normal disc . . . .

Based on our exchange, it appears that it really depends on which program you're using. Apparently some programs default to multisession, while others default to finalizing/closing the disc. Since I only really use Nero and Alcohol 120% for burning discs, I can't say whether the majority of programs out there tend towards one of those defaults over the other.